In just 5 weeks Brexit has proved to be such a success that the British Government wants to re-negotiate the deal. It is lucky for the PM and Michael Gove that the EC made such a dog’s dinner of covid and the Northern Ireland border, so they can use that as an excuse to call for talks. But since the talks will have nothing to do with covid that is just a face saving exercise.
The bigger problem is the dawning reality of what NI staying in the Single Market means for trade between it and the rest of the UK. That is why the British are asking for an extension of the grace periods on things like food regulations. The PM called the difficulty of shipping goods to NI “teething problems”; now Mr Gove says they are more than that and "We do need to make sure grace periods are extended so that supermarkets can continue to provide consumers with goods they need". No food on supermarket shelves is some “teething problem”.
Remember none of that has anything to do with covid or vaccines, this is the brilliant oven-ready deal that Boris Johnson negotiated because the deal agreed by his predecessor Theresa May was so totally unacceptable. Opposing that deal got Mr. Johnson to No.10, but some arrangement was necessary because the Conservative Party insisted that Brexit meant hard Brexit and so the UK got this mess.
There are also grace periods on the trade between the EU and the UK at Dover and other ports; where there are also “teething problems”. Watch this space.
https://jonty.substack.com/
1267 page document agreed Christmas eve and it is all going to work swimmingly after 4 years talking? I think a bit like a building project there is always going to be snagging issues.
I was watching a wild life programme on the tele the other day and it feature a family of whales being targeted as food by some even bigger whales. They raced them until a baby got tired and they could split it off for a meal. It's a bit like that with the EU they as the bigger whale thought they could peel off Northern Ireland and devour it to become a United Ireland with ease now it has been quiet for so long and show Mr Biden how wonderful the EU is creating a united Ireland. Oops no someone needs to learn their history first.
Yes we are learning some of the crafty ones slid past the civil servant negotiators. Allegedly according to Mr Barnier we won the fishing battle with France but I see no clear evidence of that with the border shut to shell fish.
And UK mud on UK lorries overnight on the ferries to Northern Ireland is not allowed in. How do you legislate for that then Jonty? EU crackpots!